Hale Kipa welcomes Venus Kauʻiokawēkiu Rosete-Medeiros as CEO

Hale Kipa, a nonprofit organization serving at-risk youth and their families, announced the appointment of Venus Kauʻiokawēkiu Rosete-Medeiros as CEO.

The organization conducted a search for a new CEO this fall after longtime CEO Punky Pletan-Cross announced his retirement.

Rosete-Medeiros has more than 35 years of experience serving youth and families in Hawai’i. Her background includes work with nonprofit organizations, as well as private and public school systems.

Most recently she served as Kamehameha Schools’ community strategist and regional director for Maui, Moloka‘i and Lāna‘i, in which she oversaw community investments, public and private collaborations and Hawaiian cultural-based educational programs. She also founded and served as the executive director of the nonprofit organization Neighborhood Place on Maui from 2004-2011.

“Venus has extensive expertise in the areas that guide Hale Kipa’s mission to best serve Hawai‘i’s  youth and their families,” said Scott Seu, Hale Kipa’s Board Chair. “Moreover, her heart and collaborative spirit fit Hale Kipa’s culture, and I’m excited to see her strong leadership in the years ahead.”

As an active child, family, community advocate and social justice leader, Rosete-Medeiros has developed several community grassroots programs and initiatives. This includes the Kamalama Parenting Curriculum based on traditional Hawaiian values that is being facilitated by organizations throughout Hawaiʻi.

She holds an MPA from Madison University in Gulfport, Miss. She was born and raised on Maui, and graduated from Kamehameha Schools Kapālama on O‘ahu.

Hale Kipa, or “House of Friendliness,” is a multi-service, fully accredited 501c3 nonprofit agency that specializes in working with at-risk youth and their families who often have nowhere else to turn.

Hale Kipa has served more than 67,000 youth throughout Hawai‘i since its beginning in 1970 as a single shelter on O‘ahu. This includes working in partnership with public agencies and private organizations to provide residential, outreach, and foster care services at no cost. Program goals include stabilizing young people in crisis and helping youth
and families build resiliency to experience success in their lives.